The Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology Shared Resource (CMESR) was recently established at the Lombardi Cancer Center (LCC) as a repository source of serum, plasma, and lymphocyte samples and linked clinical and epidemiological data from subjects with non-familial cancers and control subjects without cancer. The CME has been building up a collection of these samples linked to a computer database of associated clinical and epidemiological data. Its data entry unit performs double-entry and quality control checks to ensure high quality, error-free data for users. Samples are derived from subjects with breast, colon, and lung cancer and from persons without cancer who participated in screening programs. There are 3 sources of samples and data: (1) currently and recently recruited subjects from the LCC Clinics (year 2000 to the present) with breast cancer (N=200) or lung cancer (N=25) who completed an extensive questionnaire with a clinical coordinator, donated blood (processed into multiple stored aliquots of serum, plasma, and lymphocytes), and gave permission for linkage of these materials with their medical records and stored tumor tissues; (2) a repository of similar materials from breast cancer patients (N=509) and subjects without cancer (N=921), seen at the LCC prior to 2000, who consented for these materials to be made available in a research repository; and (3) the University of Wisconsin Cancer Center's repository of 1,200 breast cancer subjects and 300 colon cancer subjects, which was donated to the LCC (but without questionnaires). The latter two modules are a significant source of biological samples, while the ongoing enrollment of newly diagnosed subjects with non-familial cancer at the LCC provides blood samples linked to tumor samples and to a questionnaire on medical, reproductive, and family history as well as occupational and environmental factors and socio-demographic variables. This is the only Shared Resource with capacity to collect highly detailed epidemiological data on a range of potential variables related to cancer risk and to link them to stored tumor tissues. This provides a unique opportunity at the LCC for investigators who are seeking to develop biological markers for cancer risk, cancer progression and treatment, and other aspects of cancer biology in human subjects. Interactions between the CMESR, Histopathology, Tissue Culture, and Familial Cancer Registry Shared Resources will maximize the efficient linkage of data from multiple sources.